Call of the Horn
by cassious
Summary: A sort of World of Warcraft story, but from an unusual PoV:Centaurs. Though the starting land and clans don't actually exist in WoW, there are the same races and classes like in WoW. Rated higher because it might get slightly graphic.
1. Chapter 1

_**Call of the Horn**_

_**Chapter 1**_

The pale sun began its ascent over the snow-covered foothills. Everything glittered like the sparkle-rocks found in the caves far from here. I breathed in the scent of fresh, cold, morning air. My nostrils tingled with excitement. It was finally the day! I let my tent flap slide from my back and draped my furs round my shoulders, followed my large net. I called back to say goodbye to my Dam, who had decided to stay back to tend to the youngsters who were still too small to partake in the great event.

The snow crunched beneath my hooves as I trotted down a small hill to the center of my herds' village. Most of my herd was already around the center fire, waiting for the most powerful Shaman-Elder to bless our hunting group before with set out the meet another herd, with whom we were on friendly terms, at the Mother-Pine, the largest tree in all of our beloved forest, Gragnar. Once we meet up with the Black Skin-Gray Coat herd, Alsniarg we will begin the Winter Solstice hunt, the goal being to capture and bring home the Spirit Buck, who will bring good fortune to our herd for many winters to come. But we are not the only ones hunting the Sacred Buck, many other Centaur herds, including our most despised enemy, the herd of Haitia, are trying to capture the Buck. As well, there are two rules. It is forbidden to kill opposing tribe members and we may only hunt the Spirit Buck till the sun sits on the opposite horizon.

I made my way through the crowd grouped around the center fire, in front of the Shaman-Elders' tent, searching for my friends, Alernia, Ost and Haobi. I found the latter of the three off to the side of the gathered members of the herd. Haobi was a year my elder. He was taller than most, with our herd's characteristic black-with-white-spots coat and cream colored skin. His eyes were piercing; the color of young leaves. His short, ebony hair looked as though a wild wind forever tousled it to and fro. He had not yet taken a mare as a mate, but there were many hopefuls.

As I came up beside him, he turned to face me. We touched heads and grasped each others' wrists in greeting.

"Good morning Alliak. Perfect day for the Hunt no?"

"It certainly is. Where are the other two Friend?" I asked, gazing through the crowd hoping the glimpse them.

Haobi always took long to respond, giving newcomers the impression he was not high in intelligence. After staring into space for some time he responded in his deep, quiet voice. "Ost is late, as usual, and the fair Alernia is in the Shaman-Elder's tent. He is currently not in the best of health. I feel our God, Lacomin, wishes him to join the winged ranks in a short time."

Haobi seemed to be able to easily sense these things. I had the feeling he was destined to be something than just a warrior or hunter. "But since when is Alernia a healer? She has always been a fearsome fighter and hunter."

My friend shook his head slightly. "No, she is no healer, but she is aiding her elder sibling, Rana, who is a healer. The Shaman-Elder's voice has become nearly impossible to hear. They are trying to summon it back and Rana may need some extra energy to complete the task." I nodded in understanding and stood patiently as the pale orb climbed slightly higher in the clouded sky.

After only minutes, Ost came galloping across the field, furs flapping wildly behind him and his fiery red and brown hair trailing far behind him. He came to a sliding stop and nearly bumped into me. We greeted each other with a head touch and wrist grab, and then he greeted Haobi in the same fashion. His crimson-brown sides heaved as he caught his breath. His coat color set him apart from the rest of the herd, it was that tone because his father was of Ghirb, a herd on the other side of the foothills, near the base of the Singing Mountains. Ost was the product of force breeding, one of the many ways that were used to gain information in a nearly forgotten war between our herd, Falynic, and Ghirb. His Dam was mortally wounded in a war not long after the one during which he was conceived and she died birthing him. Some of the herd members were wary of him, Ghirb being a very secretive and suspicious herd; the traits may have been passed down. But my friends and I found few issues with him, besides his habitual lateness and him acting like a foal half of the time.

Like me, this was his first hunt, and a test to see if he was ready for the coming-of-age trial and ceremony. To be deemed ready, one must be able to follow orders, show maturity, and be an enthusiastic member of the Hunt. Once one had completed this test and the trial that followed, you were eligible to take a mate.

He questioned Haobi and I on the whereabouts of Alernia and Haobi recounted what he told me. Once again we waited, but I noticed the gathered members were impatient, eager to get on their way. Our lead Stallion, Cairnic, paced back and forth in front of the large fire. His colored beads clicked together. He had a half moon of blue spots painted from the center of his forehead, curving down the left side of his face, ending on his chin. I then realized I had forgotten to paint my herds' symbol on the left side of my chest. Asking my friends to wait, I galloped back to my tent as fast as I could without tripping in the deep snow.

In my tent, I found our skin paint and quickly painted a dotted half moon. It was my first time being allowed to wear it as a member of the Hunt. I flexed my muscles and watched it ripple. 'No time to waste' I thought as I turned and galloped back to the gathering. My Dam must have taken the foals to the village center already.

When I found my friends again, Alernia had already joined them. We brushed cheeks to greet each other then turned to listen as the group went quiet and the flap to the Shaman-Elders' tent slowly opened to reveal our oldest, wisest herd member.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

The weak-looking Shaman-Elder came towards the center fire slowly. His beard and hair were as white as the snow beneath him and were so long the reached his knees. His coat was of appaloosa pattern, but gray patches riddled it. One of his eyes was a deep, rich-earth brown while the other was a pale milky blue of unseeing. He was hunched over slightly, his withering frame draped in colorful shawls that smelt musky. His neck and wrists were adorned with large colorful beads, larger than Cairnic's beads. As well, he had a few, very rare metal bracelets, acquired when he met with the Dwarves long ago to form a peace treaty. A wreath of leaves crowned his head. He raised an adorned hand; sparkle-rocks were set into small rings on each finger, and pointed to the clouded sky. All whispering ceased.

He breathed quietly and brought his hand down, gazing at each face waiting to hear what he would say. "Today," He croaked, "Is the day of Winter Solstice. The day when those who have already joined Lacomin's winged herd discovered the Spirit Buck roaming through the trees of Gragnar, when Hadricol first captured the Sacred One and discovered that those who capture, then release the buck after hearing of what is to come, will be blessed with good fortune, along with their herd." He paused to cough. "But in all the time between when Hadricol roamed these lands and now, a span of nearly four-hundred winters, the Buck has only been captured ten times. I'm sure you all know who those who captured the Spirit are. Let us add one more to that list!" His voice grew with enthusiasm. A cheer from the herd went up. "One more! One more!" They called. The Elder raised his hand again for quiet you shall depart and race against other herds to track and capture the Buck. The daylight will soon fade though, so you must all leave quickly. Come, let me bless you all quickly, and then may Lacomin grant you the speed of his winged herd!"

We all lined up, everyone cheering and talking loudly. One by one, the Elder placed his hands on the sides of each Centaur's head, pressed his wreath to their head and whispered words in our language of old. I did not know what he said to me, but I was filled with a feeling of warmth and courage.

When all were blessed, we formed two lines, with Cairnic in-between both up front. Those who were too young or old stayed behind to see us off. I was behind Haobi and beside Alernia. Ost was behind me. He was prancing and snorting impatiently, but a quiet word of "Hold still Friend." From Haobi calmed him.

We waited as Cairnic pulled his Tauren-horn from his waist. "Friends, let us bring glory to our herd and show that we will not be outdone by Haitia!" Hooves thundered as we all stomped our approval. Some were rearing, as they came down, a booming thud was made. Cairnic put his horn to his lips and blew out a solid, rumbling note. Birds fluttered from nearby trees, squawking their disapproval. As one, Cairnic in the lead, the Falynic herd galloped out of the village, down the road, towards the Mother-Pine.

.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

The glowing orb was nearing its mid-point when we reached the Mother-Pine. Our Stallion greeted the other while we stood silently. We were to be grouped into hunting parties, two veteran hunters, and six others, three from each herd. For Osts' sake, I hoped Haobi and him were in the same group. Haobi was the only one he listened too…usually.

The two leaders spoke amongst themselves quietly for a moment, before having their seconds-in-command discuss groupings. The procedure took longer than I thought it would, but finally, they called out names for each group. I was eager to get started, I felt we had lost too much time already.

Names were called one after the other; then Haobi and Alernia were called to join a group. Not long after, I heard my herd's second call out "Alliak!" I broke from my line and went to the front of the group; another name was called from the other herd, then Ost was summoned forward. He came to stand beside me and fiddled with his net. Three more from Alsniarg were called, two from Falynic.

When our party was together, I examined the Alsinarg. All of the Centaurs from the other herd were much taller than any from ours. Their huge, dark skinned, muscles glittered with sweat and the blue tattoos that encompassed their forearms glowed slightly. Each twisting ring symbolized something different, I think they were to display a Centaur's ranking. All but two, who were mares, wore braided beards with beads entwined. Both stallions' brown hair was cut short and somehow stayed spiked towards the sky. The mares had coarse looking, shoulder length, black hair.

We waited with our hunting parties for the Stallions to send us off. I looked at the ones chosen from my herd to be in my party. Ost and a young mare who must have been about Haobi's age that I didn't know very well. Also an agile-looking veteran named Slark. He was much thinner than most, and around middle aged. He saw me looking at him, gave a small smile and nodded.

"And so begins the Hunt!" Boomed the Stallion from Alsinarg. I realized then I should have paid attention to what he was saying.

Slark turned to the members of the other herd, bowed slightly and greeted them in his odd voice. It was higher pitched than most, making him sound almost like a foal. But I knew well enough to judge him by that. He was a fearsome fighter and a respected tracker.

I learned the names of the Alsinarg members. Their Veteran was call Kutanbeag, the other stallion was Einuf and the mares were Dwarka and Freq. Once we all greeted each other we waited for the Stallions to sound their horns. They did so when the other groups had quieted down. One horn was loud, but two made my teeth shake. We followed behind Slark and Kutanbeag as we galloped into Gjirb, towards her heart. All hoping we would be the ones to capture the Spirit Buck and bring glory to our herds.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

Kutanbeag and Slark set the pace as we headed east into the forest. We moved in a fanned out formation, like a large leaf. The trees were large, towering high above us and about three Centaurs wide, but there were large spaces between them. Roots rose and curled out from beneath the ground, forcing us to watch our steps carefully.

Slark designated himself as lead tracker. He stopped here and there to examine imprints in the dirt, snow and dead vegetation. But, unsatisfied, he returned to our formation quickly. Over our thundering hooves I called to him and asked how he could tell the difference between an average deer's tracks and the Spirit Buck's. He told me they were larger than most, and had a slight discoloring, as though the Sacred One leaves a residue wherever he goes.

It was just after mid-day when we stopped for a break. Our skin and coats glistened with beads of sweat, but the day was cool, keeping us from overheating. I took a swig from my water skin and examined the snow-covered forest surrounding us. It looked nearly the same as every other part were had travelled through, but yet something seemed different.

I watched Freq look towards the sky through the bare branches. She was our navigator, responsible for getting us back to the Mother-Pine when we needed to. She turned to a nearby tree. Facing it, arms stretched towards it, she closed her eyes; her body began to tremble, causing one of her furs draped across her shoulders to fall, baring her chest. I caught it as it fell. Her scent strongly emanated from the tanned pelt. As I began to look back up at her, a thin orange stream shot from her fingertips and carved a smoldering arrow into the tree's trunk, pointing in the direction we came. A loud splintering noise came from it, causing me to leap backwards. She ended her spell as abruptly as it started. Turning towards me, she took her fur gently from my hands. Thanking me she went to Kutanbeag, he nodded, and then gave the word to continue on.

As we moved through the forest, I thought about Freq's spell. Not just anyone could perform magic like that, no matter how simple. I guessed she must have received training from a Shaman, perhaps a Mage or Warlock, but those were rare among Centaurs, and Warlocks were frowned upon by most herds. They delved too far into the arcane for most to be comfortable with.

I was beginning to feel this was going to be an unsuccessful day. _Perhaps next year?_ I thought to myself. Dwarka spotted another set of tracks and went to investigate. We slowed our pace slightly but continued on. Just then she let out a low whistle, calling us back to her. She must have found evidence of the Buck! I wheeled quickly, and moved with the most speed I could, slowing as I neared her.

I stopped beside her, gazing down at the indents in the crisp snow. I was surprised not to see deer tracks, but something I had only ever had described to me; Troll tracks. I glanced at Dwarka, who had an expression of worry and fear on her face. The others arrived and were as surprised as I was. Trolls were forbidden in Gragnar. We slaughtered all foreigners who entered our sacred forest without permission. How these Trolls eluded the forest-border guards I didn't know, but this meant trouble. None of us had bows, as we were forbidden to kill during the Solstice, so if they attacked, we were, for the most part, defenseless.

The tracks were headed South-East, towards my village and as far as I could see, there was only one set of them. Slark leaned forward to examine them more closely. After a only a glance he turned back to us "fresh", he mouthed. I could feel the agitation coursing through the air. Kutanbeag quietly removed his pack and withdrew a long, wrapped object. He unraveled the cloth around the object, producing a short, curved sword. Though it was forbidden to kill on the Solstice, there was nothing against defending one's self from an attack. Einuf did the same and Slark produced a large hunting dagger from his bags. I suppose, like myself, the others hadn't thought of packing a small weapon.

Slark and Kutanbeag discussed something using hand gestures. Slark seemed to want to continue on searching for the Spirit Buck, while Kutanbeag gave the impression he wanted to hunt down the troll.

As they were arguing, now in whispers, a loud rustling was heard. Branches cracked, snow crunched and we all stood still, looking in the direction of the disturbance. Suddenly, a figure leaped from the bushes, a sword flashing as the figure leaped towards Freq. Nimble as a cat, Slark dashed in front of her and deflected the blow from the attacker as Freq shrunk backwards. The two exchanged blows for but a moment before Einuf rammed into the unknown one, causing whatever it was to tumble to the ground in a heap of flailing limbs. I glimpsed a mass of dark hair in one spot before Ost leaped on it, his slender body hiding the attacker from view as he wrested the weapon from its grasp, throwing it to the side. Einuf, Dwarka and I rushed to aid Ost in detaining the still fighting thing.

I grabbed a hand as it swung to punch me in the lower stomach, twisting it in what would be a painful position. As Ost moved to grab to other hand, I saw it was a Centaur, with waist length black hair and a buckskin pelt. I went to haul the Centaur to its feet when nets were thrown over it and pinned down, holding it to the ground on its side. I released my hold on it and helped hold the nets down.

When I was sure my part of the net was pegged down safely, I glanced at our prisoner. It was a young mare, probably only a winter or two younger than me. Her hair was both dark auburn and black. It was unkempt, with bits of twigs and dirt throughout. She was bare, without furs to keep her from the cold, her skin was caked with dry dirt in some spots and her coat was insect bitten, carrying numerous scars.

Even though the nets held her almost still, she continued to fight, grunting with effort. "Bring ropes to bind her." Slark ordered. Upon hearing this she struggled with more fervor. When she spotted her weapon lying close to me, she began to reach as far as possible to grab hold of it, but it was hopeless. I picked up her sword just in case though, examining it. It was of human make, worn and plain, like what a solider would carry. I held it out for Kutanbeag to examine. How she would get one, besides through a travelling merchant which was a rare event, made no sense. Kutanbeag seemed the think the same.

"Where did you get this weapon?" He demanded, his deep voice making the mare quiet down. She glared up at him, but did not answer. Freq and Dwarka readied the ropes to bind her. Einuf took the ropes as they were passed to him, binding the mare's hands underneath the net and tying two to her body.

"Are we to take her with?" I asked the two veterans. Slark nodded.

"Who will keep her prisoner?" Ost directed his question to Slark as he took a rope to lead her with. "And what will happen to her?"

Kutanbeag answered "That will be decided when we return to the Mother-Pine."

Dwarka was next to question "We are heading back now? What of the hunt for the Spirit Buck?"

"We need to be back on time, and with a prisoner, we will travel slower." Kutanbeag told her, handing me the other rope. "Remove your nets. Freq, lead us back please."

When everyone collected their nets, we turned and headed back west, with Ost and I pulling our prisoner along. She fought the whole way, trying to strike us with her forelegs. When she did, the other captor would give a sharp yank on their rope, causing her to nearly fall over. Our progress was slow and tiring, and we finally made it back, when it was late in the evening.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

There were small fires surrounding the Mother-Pine where groups of Centaurs stood, discussing the day and warming themselves. When we neared the camps, many came rushing to meet us, thinking we had captured the Sacred One. Though they were disappointed it was not the Buck, they were interested in our prisoner.

Our lead Stallions had not returned, so we gathered round a fire, binding our captive mare to a tree. Kutanbeag got the attention of the others gathered there. Shouting louder than needed he threatened "If any of you touch her other than to aid her, it shall be you tied to that tree in her place!"

Ost and I offered to guard her first. Ost gathered firewood while I stood guard. We were soon brought hot broth to drink. As we sipped, I glanced at our captive. She seemed severely malnourished.

"Should we bring her food?" I asked Ost's opinion. He shrugged and continued to drink his meal. I went to find Slark to ask him.

I found him standing by a fire with his mare, Hyraji. Repeating my question, he stared at me, mildly interested, while toying with his mate's hair.

"Why, Alliak, do you care for the young mare?" He asked jokingly.

"I…No!" I laughed with him. "But she does seem thin."

Still chuckling at my slight embarrassment "Of course you can, but I don't think she'll accept it."

I went to where the broth had been cooked over a larger fire. I took an extra water skin from my pack and filled it with the warm liquid. I then returned to where she was being held captive.

When I got there, Ost was gone. 'Probably got distracted by some odd thing' I thought to myself as I opened the water skin.

"Here, drink." I raised the pouch to her lips, but she turned her head and kicked at me. I backed up slightly, and then tried again.

"Go away." She mumbled.

"So you do speak." I began to do up the pouch again. "You're certain you're not hungry?"

She was silent again, staring into the flames. Sighing, I laid down across the fire from her. "Wonder where Ost has gone to?" I spoke quietly to myself.

After a few moments she spoke "He is named Ost, the redish one? He went off with some mare."

I chuckled, typical of Ost. We stayed there in silence again. Soon Alernia and Haobi came over to my fire. I got up to greet them. Alernia wrapped her arms around me in a fierce hug.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" Smiling, I gently pushed her off.

"Where is Ost?" Haobi asked quietly "And who is our visitor? Have you offered her a meal Alliak?" He went to touch foreheads in greeting. She lashed out again, trying to bite and kick him. He sidestepped her retaliation, chuckling. "Come now, be kind. What is your name?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, you son of a mule!"

Ignoring her rudeness, he turned to me "Bring her food, the poor girl is starving!"

Haobi was a puzzling one. The smallest thing could offend him, but when something clearly offensive is said, he doesn't care. I undid the water skin once again, handing the lukewarm broth to him. He achieved the same results as I did, nearly spilling it on himself as he dodged another kick.

"Haobi" I said as he tried again, "Let her be. She will eat when she is hungry."

He didn't reply, but stood there watching her. She turned her face away from him, the firelight catching on a scar curving from her right temple to her chin. "Well, I have to find Ost. Good night, nameless mare, Alernia and Alliak. I shall see you again when we travel home tonight." He turned without even glancing at us and went off to search for Ost.

Alernia shook her head and chuckled, "So much for all the other mares who hoped to be his mate." She gave me a gentler hug then went off to find her brother, Junag.

I went over to my captive. "Would you like to lie down? We will be travelling soon." Still looking away from me, she nodded. I went and slid the ropes down the tree as she got down. I brushed her long hair away from the ropes to keep it from getting caught and felt her shiver. Remembering she was not covered, I draped some of my furs over her slim frame. As I did so, I revealed even more scars down her back.

Resisting the urge to ask how she got them, I instead asked her what her name was.

"Jynala" She said quietly. "And you're Alliak right?"

"Yes. Do you mind if I ask why you attacked my party?"

She was quiet and I thought she wasn't going to answer. I went to go lay down again then she said "I thought you were the group of Trolls hunting me. I am sorry for attacking you."

"Why were you carrying a human made sword?"

She glared at me and went silent again. "You do know, when the others question you, you'll have to answer or face punishment." Still silent, I sighed, hoping we would be travelling back soon.

"What herds are these; they aren't all one are they?" This time I stayed silent "Very mature, _Alliak_."

Slark soon came. "Two parties are still missing. There have also been more reports of groups of Trolls in the area. Soon as the missing parties have returned, we are setting out to return to the village. For now, Alliak, you are relieved of guard duty. I must question the prisoner now."

Finally, I was impatient to go find my friends and enjoy the Solstice while it lasted.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

_Warning: Not exactly "mature" content, but if you're a younger person (AKA like 12 and under) you probably won't understand some of this. Thanks to jozs001 for the review!!_

When Slark relieved me of my guard duty, I quickly packed my bags and set them by the fire to be ready to leave when needed. Slark took up my place across the fire from Jynala. Nodding to the older centaur, I made my way to find my three friends among the solstice celebrations, walking around the border of our camp so the more intimate couples could be left undisturbed. Off in the distance, specks of light from other camps could be seen and throughout our camp members of other friendly herds lingered.

Once parallel to the camp center, I turned inwards and headed toward the large bonfire. Surrounding it was a mass of bodies, leaping a writhing in celebration. An improvised tune was being played all around. I glimpsed one centaur from Falynic playing a lute before she danced off, hands speeding across it, then another centaur beating an animal-hide drum, the beat pounding in my ears.

Alernia came sweeping by, grabbing my wrist and dragging me along as she leapt into the air, landed, spun and hopped madly, her hair swirling about. Laughing, I joined her in the chaos of dancing. No steps were set, everyone did what they felt matched the music. Finally, she slowed.

"Come." She said, out of breath, "Let us find the others, or at least Haobi. Ost is hiding with his new found friend." She winked, indicating she thought Ost and this new mare were more than just friends. I laughed; perhaps Ost was more mature than he let on?

We found Haobi leaning against a large pine, watching the dancing and toying with a loose piece of bark.

"Alright Haobi, your turn to dance," laughed Alernia, grabbing hold of him and trying to haul him to the bonfire. He was unmovable though and Alernia became frustrated, letting his hand drop with a sigh. "Do you ever do anything fun?" She asked.

He looked at her seriously. "Occasionally I paint tanned hides. It's very entertaining."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, unlike you, I'm going to enjoy this Solstice. After all, it does only come once a year."

He seemed not to hear, staring off at one of the other distant camps. I stood with him, but after a while I was quite certain he wasn't going to talk. I turned to go back and enjoy the dancing.

"Ost went off into the forest with an Alsinarg mare." He said quietly.

I stopped, shocked. It was forbidden to have an intimate relationship with a member of another herd. Well, not exactly forbidden, but you could be severely punished, or banished from the herd, depending on what herd the other centaur was from. Ost could probably expect a mild whipping if Cairnic found out.

"They probably aren't mating or anything like that, just fooling about. Ost has probably drunk wine as has she. Besides, Ost is too young to do something like that." I chuckled at that thought.

"I have heard them." His elf-like ears twitched as a mare laughed wildly somewhere.

"Surely not anything like mating," I was beginning to worry for Ost's sake.

"I know what sounds that activity brings Alliak."

"Does anyone else know?"

"I'm making sure that no one does."

"He'll owe you."

"Yes he will."

Throughout our conversation I listened for the noises Haobi spoke of, but everything stayed silent. I patted Haobi's shoulder. He may have had a slight disliking of Ost's immaturity, but he was a good friend.

I trotted back to the bonfire. There was less chaotic dancing, but some small mares from another herd were there, moving slowly, like waves on water. A softer song was being played, one that was reminiscent of the old days, old wars and old events. I found Alernia with a group of mares. They were all laughing and gossiping loudly. As I approached they quieted down. Two of them whispering to one another and giggling still.

"Can we talk quickly?" I asked Alernia, the other mares went back to gossiping quietly when they realized I wasn't there for them.

The two of us walked away from the other centaurs. In a hushed voice I told her of what Haobi and I had talked about. She was just as surprised as I had been.

"I'm going to beat his hide!" She yelled and began to gallop towards where Haobi was and find the location of Ost.

I hurried after her. "Don't make a scene!" I called out. I never realized how fast she was. She reached Haobi long before I did.

"Where is he?!" She roared, prancing on the spot. Haobi was slightly taken aback. She was too impatient for an answer though and raced into the forest.

"Catch her!" I yelled at Haobi as I neared him. He nodded and charged after her.

We were far behind her, but gaining ground. From up ahead we heard her yelling threats into the forest.

"Ost I am going to flay you when I find you!!" Her voice sounded closer than I thought she was.

We had hardly galloped long enough for a leaf to fall when we heard a commotion up ahead. When we reached the site of the noise, Alernia had Ost pinned and was beating on him. Standing behind them was the mare from our hunting party, Dwarka. She looked almost scared of Alernia's beating of Ost. Reluctantly, I pulled Alernia off Ost as Haobi spoke to Dwarka quietly. She was still swinging at him as he scampered away.

"He deserves it! Let me go Alliak or I'll give some to you as well!" I hung onto to her tightly, wrapping my arms around her mid-section.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Ost shouted at her…from a distance.

"Obviously, you don't understand rules Ost! Haobi heard you two!"

"Heard us doing what?!" Ost was full of rage now.

"Mating!" Alernia accused.

Both Ost and Dwarka, who had turned to leave, gasped.

"We did no such thing!" Ost yelled once the shock of the accusation wore off.

"Haobi heard you!"

"There are more centaurs than just us around here!" Ost was right about that.

"Well what were you doing?!" Alernia demanded. She had quieted down some now.

"Walking, talking, and discussing the hunt and the prisoner."

"Oh…" She was calm now and I let her go.

"Don't be so quick to accuse when you don't know all the _facts_ Alernia." Ost growled quietly as he followed Dwarka out of the forest.

"Ost wait!" Alernia went to go after him but Haobi stopped her.

"Let him be Alernia, he needs to cool off." Haobi hadn't spoken during the whole argument except to Dwarka.

Alernia turned and looked up at me. I didn't know what to say, but I didn't have to think of anything, because Cairnic's horn sounded back at camp, signaling we were to leave for our home.


End file.
